Scarlett Johansson addresses Ghost in the Shell whitewashing controversy

Scarlett Johansson is responding again to criticism surrounding her casting in Ghost in the Shell.

In an interview with Michael Strahan for Good Morning America, the actress discussed the character she plays in the film, which is based on the Japanese manga and anime of the same name and has been met with accusations of whitewashing an Asian character and story for the masses.

“I think this character is living a very unique experience in that she has a human brain in an entirely machinate body. She’s essentially identity-less,” Johansson said. “I would never attempt to play a person of a different race, obviously. Hopefully, any question that comes up of my casting will be answered by audiences when they see the film.”

These statements echo her interview with Maire Claire, in which she said, “I certainly would never presume to play another race of a person. Diversity is important in Hollywood, and I would never want to feel like I was playing a character that was offensive.”

On what the Avengers star learned from her work on the film, she told Strahan, “I was a little traumatized at the end of this film, just because it was so much work and it was kind of a dark headspace to live in. But, like myself, I actually was like, okay, I did that. I’m hanging in. I’m resilient. I’m back to myself. I was happy to find myself at the end of Ghost in the Shell.”

In the film, Johansson plays The Major, a half-cyborg agent for the elite strike team Section 9, which goes after the world’s most dangerous terrorists. After Ghost in the Shell drops into theaters this Friday, she’ll reprise her role as Black Widow again for Avengers: Infinity War, which she said will surprise Marvelites.

“I think that fans are going to be surprised at the state of us all. The Avengers are not quite as you last remember them,” she said. “If you thought that that Avengers was crazy, just the idea of, ‘how do all these pieces fit together?,’ it’s taken to the next level. Like, out of control.”

Watch Johansson on GMA in the video above.